A Guardian's Revenge
by crafty-boy-FTW
Summary: A young seagull had everything he needed. A family who loved him, friends that cherished him and a home that amazed him. But in one night it was taken from him, causing him to seek vengeance. With help from the guardians he may get revenge and maybe, just maybe he might find something he never thought possible, love. The seagull may be young but that is not going to stop him.
1. Chapter 1

**A Guardians Revenge**

**Hello and welcome to my story everyone. I'm crafty-boy-FTW and this is my story. Just to let you know all the birds in this story live human years instead of bird years and I'm also going to use words like racdrops from the books. But words are the only thing I'm taking from the books. Hope you enjoy and remember if you like the story live a review :D. Anyways, on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own LOTG or the books.**

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

"Mama, Papa look what me and Alex did!" a young seagull shouted as he ran towards a nest near the cliff face, excitement deep in his voice. The little seagull appeared to be at very young age. He did not look any older that nine years old and still had some baby feathers on him, giving him that grey colour new chicks always have.

"James, dear, I can't right now I have things to do and you know your father is out hunting," a feminine seagull said with a small sigh, she was obviously the chick's mother.

"Aww mama please, please come look," the chick called James whined.

"I'm really sorry dear but I can't right know, maybe later," James' mother said with a warm smile before she turned back to the nest and began to move the sticks and twigs in different places then pushing some soft moss into the gaps.

"Oh, ok then, I'll go back and check on Alex," James said slightly disheartened as he walked away from the nest. But it wasn't long before he perked up again.

James' nest was located on the edge of a cliff in the Beak's. The cliff was tall itself, so tall in fact that the bottom was obscured by a layer of mist. James' nest was not the only one on the cliff however; there was actually an entire colony of seagulls living there. There were nests scattered here there and everywhere along the side of the cliff, all with happy families in them and chicks running around playing merrily. The nesting areas were on rocks and boulders with a massive expanse of a green field behind it all, which a lot of chicks were currently using as a playground. All in all this place was a seagull's version Glaumora, so peaceful and happy, and James loved it.

Before he knew it James was at his brothers' location, and there next to him was the small formation of pebbles arranged into what could only be described as a small fort.

"Hey big brother, what did mama say?" the small chick, known as Alex, asked excitedly.

"Sorry little brother, but mama's busy and papa's out hunting," James replied with his head lowering slightly.

"Aw," his little brothers whine caused James to switch to big brother mode.

"Come on little brother we still have time to play and mama said that she might come and see it later!" he said enthusiastically trying to cheer his brother up. It worked.

"Okay brother what should we play?" Alex asked a smile pressed on his beak.

Alex himself was younger than James but only by a year, being eight years old he had the shape all hatchlings had. He had quite a lot more baby feathers than James, even though there was a year difference. He was a chirpy little seagull and was nearly always smiling. He sheared a great bond with his brother and his parents and James was likewise.

"Well I was thinking that we could play catch the fish with Jake and Sam" James said. Jake and Sam were brothers and they were also best friend with James and Alex.

"Yeah, let's go now!" Alex said in a rush and ran striate passed James in the direction of Jake and Sam's nest. James only giggled a bit before running after his brother.

* * *

Alex and James had been running for a few minutes now, passing many nests along the way. You would expect to get lost in the vast amount of nests everywhere, but for Alex and James, after living here since they were born, they knew this place like the back of their wing feathers. They stopped when they came across a nest with a rather large seagull in it. His white feathers and large frame clearly showed he was a male and he actually knew James and Alex quite well.

"Hey there Alex and James, are you here for Jake and Sam?" he asked in a friendly manner.

"Yes Mr Quake," James and Alex said simultaneously.

"Your mothers making you use formalities again isn't she?" Quake asked earning a small nod from the two chicks in front of him; he gave of a small chuckle.

"You don't have to do that around me lads… don't tell your mother I said that though"- pulling a smile, he continued-"anyway the boys are over there and I think they could do with some company," he said pointing to two board looking chicks sitting on a small rock.

"Thanks Quake," Alex said before running of towards the two chicks.

"Hey wait up," said James running off after his brother but not before saying thanks to Quake as well.

Quake looked at the two chicks running towards his own and smiled _'There just like me and Danny were back in the day.'_ Danny was James and Alex's father and he is best friends with Quake. He is an amazing story teller and often keeps the kids entertained with amazing stories, of what he and Quake did when they were little.

"Quake, honey, could you help me with this?" a feminine voice sounded out, which was Quakes mate.

"Yes, dear, I'll be there in just a sec," he said. He took one last look at the chicks before going to help his mate.

Meanwhile James and Alex had made it to Jake and Sam.

"Hey, Alex and James are we glad to see you!" Jake said happily, getting up quickly and his once board expression had vanished completely.

"Yeah I thought I was going to die of boredom!" Sam said just like his brother.

Jake and Sam were both the same age as James so unlike James and Alex who hatched on different years, Jake and Sam hatched as together, becoming twins and also making Alex the youngest. Jake and Sam were just like their father, always jolly and full of crazy ideas.

"Hey guys!" James greated.

"We were wondering if you wanted to play a game with us," Alex asked.

The twins looked at each other then back at their two friends in front of them with smiles.

"YEAH, a game," they said in union.

"Yeah, we were thinking about playing catch the fish," suggested James getting smiles from the two in front of him.

"Well what are we waiting for, let's go!" Sam said taking of like a rocket.

"Wait up Sam," Alex shouted chasing after him leaving James and Jake standing there. They looked at each other but then Jake raised a wing and placed it firmly on James' chest.

"You're it!" he said before running away giggling.

"Hey that's not fair, I wasn't ready!" James pouted before chasing after him, it was on now.

* * *

James started chasing Jake through the rock area of the nesting area. Running over the rocky was hard work for the chicks and the fact that they were weaving in and out of nests didn't help. A small rock stuck out from the ground. Jake saw it and managed to do a small jump to clear it but James however failed to see it and the next thing he knew he was flat on his beak. He quickly recovered by looking up and managed to see Jake getting away quick. He slammed his wing on the ground in frustration, there was no way he would catch Jake now… unless he took a short cut. James looked around to spot anything to help and spotted a ramp shaped rock that Jake was heading to. If he ran fast enough he might be able to cut Jake off. A smile came to James' beak as he quickly got to his talons and began to run flat out towards the rock. He saw Jake closing fast and glace behind himself, it was obvious that Jake had no idea where James was and that worked to James' advantage.

James closed on the rock but so was Jake. Closer and closer they got until it was convergence time. James reached the edge of the rock just before Jake passed under him and thought _'here goes nothing'_ right before he jumped. Jake passed right under James as he leapt forward and he stopped when he saw a shadow pass over him. In mid leap James raised his wing above his head, ready to bring it down on Jake. He landed directly on Jakes chest, knocking him over and pinning him to the floor. James brought his wing down gently before whispering to him "You're it".

James got of him and helped him to his talons.

"James, that was… AWSOME!" Jake shouted, amazed.

"That was nothing I just thought of it, didn't think it would work though," James said, the last part barely audible.

"It was still cool!" Jake exclaimed.

"No, it was just another one of my crazy ideas," James said casually.

"That's why it worked!" causing a smile to appear on James' beak.

"Come on Jake bet you can't catch me or the others!" James shouted behind him, as he had already started running.

"Hey, now that's not fair."

* * *

The sun had just begun to slip below the horizon and the light was fading fast. All the chicks were being called back to their nests by their parents and soon the noise had died down to small chatter between families whilst some had already turned in for the night. James' family had just finished a tasty fish James' papa Daniel, or as Quake calls him Danny, had brought home from his fishing trip.

"That was great papa," Alex said as he hugged his dad.

"Yeah thanks papa!" James said as he copied Alex's motions. Their dad just smiled warmly. Their dad was an averaged sized seagull but was way more muscular and built. He had smooth feathers and a playful yet fatherly nature to him and his kids loved him.

"You're very welcome boys and not to rough, I'm not as young as I used to be," he said with a chuckle

"Oh, dear, your still only 34," Gilder said smiling at her mate. Gilder was the mate of Daniel and the mother of James and Alex. She had the traditional grey feathers female seagulls have and was a little smaller than average. That didn't change her way of being a loving and caring mother and mate who had an undying love for her family.

"I thought it was the guys that flatter girls?" Daniel said with a sly grin.

"Well it works both ways dear," she said and joined the hug with her sons and mate.

"Alright that's enough hugging for one night, time to turn in," Daniel said.

"Alright, night mama night papa," the two chicks said simultaneously before going to sleep. Once he was sure they were both asleep Daniel and Gilder started talking.

"They're going to be fine seagulls when they're older, you know?" Gilder told her mate.

"I know dear, I think tomorrow I'm going to teach them a few things for later on in life, like hunting or flying or maybe…" he was cut off by his mate

"Daniel, you worry too much, they have plenty of time to learn and they're going to be fine."

"I know but, I just want them to be ready," Daniel said. His wife smiled reassuringly at him before both of them fell asleep together.

* * *

'_I'm flying I'm finally flying. I can't believe it. This this so cool I feel like I can take on the world. I can do loops and tricks. whoosh, this is amazing. Wait what's that? It's coming striate at me! Wait its saying something, what's it saying? Pure… Pure Ones, what? Wait stop, stop, STOP!_

James woke with a start. His nightmare, clearly, has scared him a lot. As he gathered his senses he became aware of an odd smell. It was a horrible smell that made it hard to breath. It smelt like smoke? Smoke! James was up and on his talons in an instant; his eyes focusing and he took in a sharp gasp as he saw what was around him.

Fires raged all around him from different nests, bodies of seagull were scattered about bloody and broken and the once green grass suddenly had a tint of red to it. James couldn't believe what he was seeing. This once paradise of a place was looking more and more like hell the more he looked around. An ear piercing scream filled the air which caused James to turn around quickly. He saw a female seagull being dragged by, what looked like, owls in masks behind a rock before the scream died and blood slowly run out from around the rock. She was dead and James new it. The devastation and destruction around him mentally shocked James to his core and he was frozen in place, but it was about to get much worse. He looked down and was stunned, collapsing onto his small knees with his eyes wide and tears welling up, and he couldn't believe what he saw. His mother and farther splayed out motionless on the ground with blood surrounding them and claw marks all over them. His father was laying a few feet away from the nest next to none other than Quake, who seemed to have joined his farther in some struggle against something.

His mother however was still in the nest, lying on her back with her stomach cut and scratched. James saw her right wing wrapped around something small and he dreaded to see what it was. He moved his mother's wing using great effort and immediately burst into tears at what he saw. His little brother was what his mother was trying to hide, she must have been trying to protect her youngest son but it was to no avail. His little brother was dead just like the rest of his family. James couldn't believe it; his family was dead and taken from him so quick he was stunned. How could this have happened? As James wept at the amount of devastation, a cough brought him out of his crying state.

"James, dear, is that you?" the voice of his mother rang out, though it sounded weak and distant but still gave James hope.

"Mama, you're ok!" James exclaimed, his voice full of hope.

"No sweetie mamas' not ok," she said obviously straining to speak as she got weaker and weaker.

"No, no I'll get help and you'll be fine!"

"James, honey, be strong, be strong for us, don't forget us and live a good life for us. Promise me you will sweetie," his mother said with a smile.

"But mama…" he was cut off in mid-sentence.

"Promise me," she said again, more desperate this time.

"I-I pro-promise mama I promise I will," James said with tears welling up again.

"Good now listen you must get away from here as quick as you can, run and don't stop until you get far away,"

"Wh-what do I do then?" his voice giving out slightly.

"Grow, grow and become a strong seagull and once you do that you need to… you need to…" she was dying fast and struggling to speak.

"To what, what do I need to do?" he said desperately.

"You need to find the guardians on an Island on the sea of Ga'hool, they might help you… they have good hearts,"

"I-I will mama, I will,"

"Good boy, be brave James and good bye…. I love you," she layed her head down and closed her eyes and that was it, she was gone.

"Mama, mama NO!" James cried as he let tears fall quickly and freely. He simply couldn't believe what was happening.

He did not have time to weep though because a gruff voice sounded out behind him.

"Hey look this one's still breathing," the voice said. James spun around only to find three figures standing before him, two of which were wearing scary masks with red eyes whilst the other had white feathers and looked to be a tall barn owl.

"What should we do with it my queen?" the owl on the right asked causing a wicked smile appeared on the white owls face.

"What is your name young seagull?" she said harshly whilst ignoring the owl's question.

"James… my name is James," James said with fear clear in his voice.

"Well James you are lucky I'm in a good mode, I'll spear your life same can't be said for your putrid family though," she said. Her words stung James badly yet he couldn't do anything. If he tried anything he would be killed by these owls in an instant. He remained silent but thought _'they did this, all of this!'_ Rage began to build inside the young chick. The white owl turned but before she and the other owls could take off into the smoky black sky James gathered his courage and asked "I've told you my name, now what is yours?"

The white owl turned back to face James, surprised at his sudden question. But that surprise quickly turned into a little smile and she gave a small laugh before saying "I am Nyra, queen of the Pure Ones and mate to the lord, high Tyto. I came up with this little attack on your home here, which could have easily been avoided if your stupid kind would have cooperated with us."-she looked at the floor as she said that last bit, as if to recall the memory's but she quickly looked back up to face the little seagull again-"and what is it to you seagull?"

"I'm going to find you and you are going to die," James stated, standing back up to showing he wasn't kidding.

"Oh, what a brave young seagull you are by threatening me. It seems such a waste. If only you were a Tyto owl, we could have made a great solider out of you, such a shame," she said the last part with the same wicked smile as before and then without warning hit James striate across the beak knocking him out completely.

As James' world faded to black all he could hear was the laughter from the three owl's that were slowly flying away into the night.

**Well what do you think of the story so far? Bad or good, leave a review to tell me. This is my first LOTG fic so don't be too harsh please; D. Just to let you know, I have read the books and watched the film several time so I was thinking **_**'if I combine what could of happened after the film with some language and seagulls from the book I could make a great story!'**_** so I'm writing this. I will carry this on for those who like it. Write again soon.**

**crafty-boy-FTW. :D**


	2. Waking and an Akinda encounter

**A Guardian's Revenge**

**Hey there again. It's crafty-boy-FTW with another chapter. Hope you enjoy it and if you do remember to leave a review. They help me a lot. (P.S tried to fix errors)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own LOTG.**

**Chapter 2: Waking to an ****Echidna**** encounter**

James slowly came to from his unconscious state. That owl really hit him hard because his vision kept fading and returning. After a few minutes of swaying in and out of conscious, he finally got his senses' together and managed to get to his feet. He cleared his mind and everything that happened the previous night came back to him. He quickly looked around and all the sights from last night were still there, only the fires had died down to only piles of ash or small flickering flames. He saw the bodies of the seagulls from the previous night and he even saw the sight of his once happy family. He still couldn't believe they were gone, how could they have been taken from him so quickly? It just wasn't fair. As tears began to build in his eyes once again he found himself about to cry at his loss yet again, but something stopped him. His mother's words from last night rang out in his head. _'Be strong, be brave for us.'_ Those words kept repeating themselves over and over until James finally picked himself up and wiped away his tears. He had to be strong for his family. He had to get revenge.

James suddenly got a burning feeling deep within him. It felt like a bad craving for something, but it was different than a craving for a nice big fish, no. This was a craving for blood. It seems unreal for such an ever happy chick like James to crave another bird's blood. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't even think about spilling something's blood. But the circumstances had changed drastically since last night and James eye flashed a sudden colour of red before returning to their normal pale blue as he recalled the group of owls that had caused this attack. _'Pure Ones,'_ he thought, _'I will find them mama, for you.'_

James slowly got out of the nest leaving his family's body behind. He took one last look at the nest he called home and the family that had once loved him so much. He blinked away one last tear before turning back to his original path, away from this place.

As he walked by the many nests and bodies, he realised there were a few more birds he needed to check on before he left for good. He came across one nest that housed the sight he dreaded. A motionless female lying inside it and next to her were none other than Jake and Sam. They too had suffered the same fate that his family had.

James suddenly had the worst realisation imaginable; no one else had lived through the ordeal. He was the last one left. He was on his own in a world he knows little about. He learned a bit in the little school about different areas and predators but apart from that he knew nothing. What was he going to do? He had no plan no course of action or any idea where to go. James was brought out from his thoughts when a sudden shine from his friends nest caught his attention.

The shine was coming from underneath the twigs that made up the nest. James reached out a wing and brushed the stick apart only to uncover a small sword. _'This must have been Quake's'_ James thought. It was a plausible theory, Quake did always tell stories about how he and Daniel had fought of intruders with a sword he had a made by someone he called a rouge smith. This must have been it. It was a nice sword though. Its polished silver surface glimmering in the morning sun, you wouldn't even know how old it was, it looked brand new. The handle of the blade was made of tough leather that was easy to grip and was obvious that it wouldn't tear. The strange part of the sword was that it had a little slot in the bottom of the grip that looked like something was supposed to go in there. But the sword itself was not actually a sword. It was more of an extended dagger but since James was still little, it looked like a small sword. It was a little too big for James but he could carry it. He looked for something that would make it easier to carry and found it in the nest. A holster rested next to where the blade once was and was still covered by various sticks and twigs. James brushed the sticks out of the way and picked the holster up and examined the rough, black leather it was made of. It showed experience and looked like it had been used countless times. After the quick examination, he tried to put it on. It was too big for James to wear around his waist so he strapped it on his back instead.

The large dagger fitted nicely in the holster and despite the extra Waite on his back, James could still move freely. James took another look at the dead family in the nest. He knew his mission now. He had to avenge his family and friends. He had to become something he never thought he would. After all, to catch monsters you have to become one yourself. As he stepped out of the nest and walked, finally reaching the colony's edge, he took one last glance at his once proud colony. He needed to train and toughen up before he went after these monsters and what better place to do it than in some of the most dangerous places for seagulls in the kingdom. Each one would test him to the limit and beyond, which would only make him stronger. But he would start with the closest, Tyto forest. If he survived the harsh environments he would know that he would be ready to face the Pure Ones. But then he remembered some more of his mother's words. _'When you're ready find the Guardians on the island of Ga'hoole, in the sea. They will help you.'_

The Guardians. Yes that's where he must go, to the guardians, but when he's ready. 'That shouldn't take too long' he thought 'besides how long can it take?' and with that he looked back at the looming forest in front of him and took a massive gulp. As he took a deep breath and gathered his courage he set of into the forest which began his journey.

(Line Here)

'_It's been six years since that night. Six years since I watch everyone I knew die right before me. Six years since I entered that forest and began my journey. Six years since I swore that I would get revenge for everyone. Six years of training is now going to be put to use, but first things first, I need to reach the Guardians and I'm sure that the __Echidna__ will know where to go.'_ A lone seagull thought to himself, whilst perched on a rock overlooking a small canyon in the beginning hours of dusk. The stars had begun to reveal themselves to the world and the setting sun gave a pleasant orange glow to the darkening sky. The seagull was a young looking bird that looked to be around fifteen, on the boarder of sixteen and was very muscular for his age. His well-built frame along with his smooth white feathers gave him a hansom look to him and his pale blue eyes were full of determination. He had a scar running from his left shoulder down the bottom of his right rib cage and a leather sheath around his waist housed a small sword like dagger. This seagull was James and he had come a long way since he first stepped into that forest six years. He had grown a lot since then becoming quite tall for his age. He learned many things from many different birds and now after six long and torturous years he finally felt ready.

He looked out over the canyon towards the gate looking archway on the furthest Island where, from the story's he'd heard, the Echidna was supposed to dwell. James spread his wings and, in two quick down strokes, he was up in the air and flying towards the archway. Within a couple of minutes he arrived at his destination and landed softly at the archways base. He took a quick observation of the area before a confused look found its way onto his face.

"Where's the Echidna?" he said quietly and as if on cue an old sounding voice rang out in the air causing him to jump slightly.

"I knew, knew you would come here seagull!" the mysterious voice exclaimed.

James reacted on instinct and drew the blade at his side from its sheath and scanned the small rock of an island for the source of the voice.

"Show yourself!" he shouted whilst still looking for the source of the voice.

"Twas foretold that your journey would bring you here!" the old voice sounded out again, this time coming from behind him.

Quickly spinning around, James came face to face with what he was sure was the Echidna. He knew this because of the face paint that formed strange, ancient patterns around various parts of his face and the spines on his back that were also highlighted with the light blue paint.

James only stared at the Echidna for several moments before finally speaking up.

"You are the Echidna right?" he asked suspiciously.

"Indeed I am but that is not what is important. What is important is why you are here, James."

James was surprised to say the least, "You know my name?" he asked.

"Yes, of course I know your name. Twas foretold that you would arrive here," the Echidna replied back.

"Well if my arrival was foretold and you really are the Echidna that 'knows all', then why am I here?" James questioned.

"Ah, an easy question," the Echidna said "You are here to find the guardians of Ga'hoole." The Echidna's answer defiantly proved to James that this was the really thing. After establishing that this was the real Echidna James sheathed his blade and asked the question he came here for.

"So where are they then?" he asked seriously. The Echidna sighed and began to walk towards the arch way.

"Twas foretold that you had anger deep within you and that this anger is fuelled by your need for revenge." He turned back to James after reaching his destination "do not let your anger consume you James or those you love will pay the price," he said whilst leaning on his wooden staff.

"I have no one to love, so who is there to hurt?" James said, looking him in the eye.

"And why don't you have anyone to love James?" his old voice croaked.

James opened his beak as if to say something, but shut it and looked away when he found no answer to the Echidna's question.

"I'll tell you why. It is because no one likes a monster."

James looked back at the Echidna with rage before yelling at him. "I am not a monster!"

"Then what are you?" the Echidna yelled back. James said nothing for a long time as if he was trying to find a suitable answer.

"I'm… a killer," James replied quietly whist looking down at his talons, "I'm a killer and a crazy bird, I'm a-a…"

"Monster?" the Echidna offered.

"…Yes."

"Hmm, you became this to get revenge, yes?" he asked.

"No, I became this for justice," James said with a sad tone whilst looking up once more.

The Echidna looked back at James and said "I said that you have no one to love now, I didn't say that it would always be that way."

"I've been destined to be alone."

"But that is the destiny you have chosen and only you can change," the Echidna said before picking his staff up out of the ground and pointed it to the starry sky.

"Keep between the Whale's fin and the eye of Glaux and you will find your guardians," he stated.

"Thank you for the directions," James said as he reached the arch way and spread his wings.

"James you can't fight this battle alone, you need friends that you can trust and know will stay with you and James remember this. At the end of your journey, a price must be paid in the end and when that time comes you are going to have to decide the fate of one certain bird," the Echidna said before James took off.

"When your wings are tired and you've flown as far as you can, you're halfway there!" he called out after James. _'Halfway there! This might be easier than I thought.'_ James smiled as he thought this and settled comfortably knowing it would be easy from now on.

(Line Here)

A fierce storm thundered down upon the rough sea of Ga'Hool. Lighting flashed and thunder filled the air as the storm seemed to get worse and worse. _'Halfway there my tail feathers! There was nothing about a massive storm in that old fool's speech!'_ James thought annoyed and drenched. He had been flying for what was hours now and there was still no sign of the supposed Island in the middle of sea. _'What direction was I going in again? Where're the constellations' again? Fuck which way!'_ was all James was thinking at the moment. At this rate he would probably die in this storm before he found the Guardians.

Another wave of lightning struck, just centimetres away from contacting with James' left wing. Though the lightning didn't strike James directly, it still was enough to make him lose his concentration for just a second. But just a second was all a strong gust of wind needed to blow James into an uncontrollable spin.

Try as he might, he couldn't level out enough to stabilise himself. The vicious sea of Ga'hoole grew closer and closer to James as he fell. _'Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK '_were James' last thoughts before he crashed into the sea and effectively being knocked unconscious.

**Hey there again readers. If you read this chapter I hope you enjoyed it and liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Just wanted to say that the description of the ****Echidna****, when James first sees him, wasn't all that because I just didn't know how to word it. Sorry if I got it wrong. Also the fact that I left the chapter with James being knocked out again is just a coincidence, promise it won't happen all the time, and finally the fact that seagulls use human swear words. Owls have there's and other species have their own. Thanks for reading next chapter will be here soon so stay tuned. Leave a review to tell me how this was.**

**craft-boy-FTW. :D**


	3. Chapter 3: Arrival and a new ally

**A Guardian's Revenge**

**Hello, I'm back with another chapter! It's been a while so I made up time by making this chapter longer. Enjoy and review.**

**Disclaimed: I don't own LOFG**

**Chapter 3: Arrival and a new ally**

The waves of the Ga'hool Sea slowly crashed upon the rocky shores of the great island of Ga'hool. The small island was the foundations to a great tree, that stood taller that all the others in the owl kingdom. This great tree was home to an extraordinary group of owls that were sworn to protect the week and mend the broken. The Guardians had made their home here many hundreds of years ago and had managed to sustain a great community of owls of all sorts. From the small Elf owls to the large Great greys and agile Barn owls to intelligent Spotted owls, the tree had always looked after them all. This tree was known as a legend to most outside its stormy boarders and was said that only the pure of heart can find it. This tree was the destination of a certain seagull. Having flown head on into the storm, he wondered if he would make it. His strong determination drove him forward and forced him to push on into the vicious storm.

* * *

A pair of owls were flying away from the great tree. One was a Barn owl and the other was a small Elf owl both of which seemed to be quite young. For them it was another day at the great tree and was as calm as usual. Ever since the demise of Metal beak, everyone had been able to relax and let back knowing that the danger had been dealt with. The two owls however had been bombarded by the citizens of the Great tree with questions and stories. The little Elf owl had been trying to get a moment alone with the barn owl because there were some important questions that see needed answered. But with the crowds of owls, mostly owlets, it became hard to get this moment. So today she decided to take him somewhere, where she was sure was safe from unwanted ears.

"Um, Gylfie, where are going?" the barn owl said turning towards his small companion.

"Soren, like I said before, we are going somewhere privet." Gylfie said in an annoyed tone. This was the fourth time Soren had asked the question.

"But I don't see why. What's so important that we have to go somewhere _privet_ to discuss?"

"~sigh~ Soren I'm just going to say that it's a delicate matter," Gylfie said trying to explain without giving anything away. She turned to land on one of the many rocks that surrounded the main Island.

"Fine," Soren replied as he followed her down.

* * *

Lying face down on the jagged rocks of Ga'hool, a seagull was unconscious. After battling the ferrous storm for over two hours only to be knocked out of the sky, sixty feet up, by lightning it was no mystery as to why he was out cold. But by some outstanding bit of luck, he had been saved by the currents of the sea which had pushed him up onto the rock face and away from the danger of the rough waves. He had been lying there for well over a day and the lack of food and water probably had taken its toll on his unconscious body.

In the late hours of dusk, when the sun had nearly set, the seagull began to stir. Groaning from the sudden pain that shot threw him as he moved, he opened his eyes. James had finally woken up. He tried to move but the pain that it caused made him stop instantly. Restricted of movement he tried to look around and found he could do so. He tried to get an idea as to where he had ended up and also tried to recall what had happened the previous night. He remembered the massive storm he had flown into and the encounter with the Echidna but struggled recall what he was doing in the storm. As he looked over the top of the rock he was splayed out on, he saw the small rock formations that were scattered about. But the rock formations were not what caught his attention. What did was the massive tree that was stood upon an Island in the middle of the clusters of rocks. The tree was bigger than any other James had ever seen and left him gazing up at it in awe. He just couldn't comprehend what he was before him.

Suddenly it clicked in James' head. He remembered why he flew through that storm. It was to get here, to find this tree, to find the Guardians. A small smile came across James' beak. _'I made it'_ he thought_ 'I made it'_. Those were his last thoughts however before his vision clouded again and he slipped back into unconsciousness.

(Line Here)

Gylfie had reached the rocky outcrop with Soren closely following behind. Once they had both landed on the rock Gylfie turned to Soren who was looking at her with a worried expression clear on his face.

"Gylfie, what's wrong? You've been acting differently the past week, something's been bothering you I know it," he said looking at her closely. She just looked down at her talons nervously.

"Soren, we've been here for how long now?" she asked suddenly whilst looking back up at him once more.

"Um, well it must be months now, why do you ask?"

"Well how long have you… " she stopped once she noticed him looking behind at something "Soren?" His eyes were wide with shock and gave her the hint to turn around.

"Soren what are you…" she stopped once again when she saw what he saw. Lying no more than ten feet away was a seagull lying motionless on the rock which they stood on. They instantly ran over to the bird and checked to for signs of life.

"What in Glaux's name is a seagull doing here?!" Soren exclaimed.

"I don't know but a better question is: how did it get here?!" Gylfie said equally shocked.

"He's alive, I can see him breathing and there's a heartbeat," she said.

"We can't just leave him here Gylfie, we have to bring him to the tree," Soren said causing Gylfie to look at him as if he had gone yeep.

"We can't just bring a seagull, of all birds, to the Great Tree, can we?" she said.

"Yes we can, it needs help," he pointed out gesturing a wing towards the seagull's severely singed left wing.

"Fine, we'll bring him back then. You're carrying him though, I'm way too small."

"Okay then, let's just hurry. Glaux knows how much time he has left," Soren said grasping the seagull with his talons. It was difficult for Soren to carry the gull because it was as big as him. As he flew back to the tree with the seagull, Gylfie sighed '_just one moment without interruption'_ she thought before taking off after Soren.

* * *

The time had now shifted from dusk to near midnight. James was just beginning to come around from his second wave of unconsciousness. Struggling to open his eyes, he felt warmer than before and there was no ocean breeze as well. Finally able to pry his eyes open he found himself in a large hollow. A line of nests were against each side of the hollow and he was lying in one of them. He saw that three of the other nests were occupied by owls. _'Owls?'_ James thought. _'Wait. This is the Great tree!'_ He was just about to breathe a sigh of relief, when he was brought from his thoughts due to someone clearing their throat beside him.

Quickly turning his head to the hollows entrance, he found a slender looking barn owl standing before him lightly leaning her weight on the hollow's wall.

"Well you're alive," she said in an un-amused tone.

"So it would seem," James replied hesitantly whilst looking over himself quickly. He quickly took notice of the bandage that engulfed the entire upper part of his left wing and was left staring at it in shock.

"That's a nasty brake you've got there, not to mention the bad burns as well," she said dryly.

"Wow, really?" James asked as he looked over the bandaging again.

"What in Glaux's name were you thinking, flying through a storm like that?" the barn owl asked. She had moved from the hollows entrance to the side of James' nest without him noticing, causing him to jump at her sudden appearance.

"Well I was trying to get here," he tried to explain.

"But why?" she asked whilst checking over his injured wing.

"I'm just gonna say that I'm looking for help," he replied. There was an awkward silence between the two for a couple of minutes as she checked the bandage over his wing. Once she had done that she called in two other owls, both of which were wearing sharp battle claws and intimidating masks. One was a Spotted owl whilst the other was a great grey.

"Is he okay to move?" the spotted owl said in a gruff voice, facing the barn owl.

"Yes, he's fine, just watch the wing though it's still in bad shape," she said back. The owl nodded and moved over to where James was.

"Get up seagull," he said blankly.

James sighed, not wanting to get up so soon, but managed to pull himself to his feet. He stumbled about a bit, since he had been knocked out for a day and a half, and the guard helped him to stabilize.

"You have been requested, by the parliament of the Great tree. They want to see you immediately," he said sternly.

"Ok then, lead the way," James said. The owl nodded before turning to walk towards the hollow entrance. _'Well this can only go well'_ James thought sarcastically before following the spotted owl. As they were leaving the hollow, they passed the barn owl who James had previously talked to. She stopped him abruptly by putting a wing out in front of his chest and said something only he could hear.

"Think about what you're going to say to the parliament before you step foot in there. They probably won't be convinced with just 'I'm looking for help'."

"I'll keep that in mind," James said. She just gave him a small amused smile before turning to help the other owls in the hollow and James continued to follow the spotted owl.

James was about to exit the hollow until he caught a quick reflection of light out of the corner of his eye. He looked over to where the shine was coming from and found that his blade and holster were propped up neatly against the hollow wall. He quickly went over to his equipment and started to hastily put it on whilst chasing after the spotted owl.

Once outside, James had finally managed to do up the final strap on the holster and sheathed his sharp blade. He looked up to see what the outside looked like and could only stare in awe at what he saw. The Great tree looked even more spectacular from inside all its branches and leaves. Owls of all sorts were walking and chatting amongst themselves, going to various different parts of the tree. Candles and torches light up the tree in a warm welcoming glow and some of the owls could be seen doing multiple jobs around the tree. The citizens of the tree seem happy as if they had no care in the world.

"Impressive, isn't it?" the sooty owl asked.

"It is," James replied, not bothering to face the owl.

"Well we don't have time to sight see, we need to go," he said nodding to the great grey.

The grey nodded back and then in one swift down stoke of its wings it was lifted into the air and locked its battle claws around James' waist as it did so. James was surprised to say the least as a surprised 'Whoa' escaped through his beak as he was carried up and up by the large owl until they came to a large platform that came before a large hollow entrance; the parliament entrance. The great grey set James down on the platform and then landed himself, the spotted owl following close behind.

"Thanks for the lift," James said to the great grey whilst trying to regain his balance. The large owl just nodded in return to his thanks.

"There's the entrance, we'll escort you in then you're on your own." The spotted owl said coming up to my side.

"Best not keep um waiting," James replied as they walked inside.

* * *

Inside the parliament hollow there were many voice arguing with one another, arguing about what was unknown to James but he suspected that it had something to do with his sudden arrival. The two owls were leading him into the large chamber. The spotted owl was in front of him whilst the large great grey was to the side. As they entered the chamber, all the arguing ceased and silence was left in its place. All eyes were drawn to the group of birds entering the chamber and the only noise to be head was the small clink of battle claws on the wood floor. James took in what was around him. There were a total of twelve owls in the large hollow, all of which were perched on a thick branch of the tree on either side. There were two snowy owls that stood on a well-crafted perch that was in crested with gold and was placed in the middle of the circular branch the owls perched on. The room was well lit by the fires behind the owls and a weird dome was in the middle with a perch's going all around it. It was a strange layout of the hollow but James wasn't here to judge interior decorating.

The spotted owl bowed towards the two snowy owls before proceeding.

"Boron, your majesty, we've brought the seagull as requested," he said formally. _'Majesty! This can't go well'_ James thought.

"Thank you Grogg and Crescent, you may leave now," the bigger snowy said. Both bowed in response and turned to leave.

"Good luck kid," the spotted owl named Grogg whispered to me before walking out of the hollow. '_Thanks.'_ James thought sarcastically.

"Seagull, take a perch," the snowy owl known as Boron said whilst gesturing a wing at one of the perches around the large dome. James nodded before proceeding to climb up onto the centre perch that stood before the two monarchs.

"Tell us seagull how did you end up being unconscious on a rock just off the island?" Boron asked suddenly.

"Um, well I was flying through some storm that came out of nowhere and…" he was cut off by another question coming from a spotted owl to his right.

"What were you doing out in that storm? That was near suicide!" she exclaimed.

"Well I was trying to find you, all of you," he replied. Confused looks were passed around the hollow when he gave his answer.

"Why were you looking for us?" the snowy next to Boron asked, clearly confused.

"I know you fight a group of owls called the pure ones."

"Ha, the pure ones?" a large great horned owl chuckled in amusement, "They were defeated months ago."

"Indeed they were, their leader, Metal beak, was killed and the battle was won." The spotted owl said again. Everyone turned to James and looked at him as if he was wasting their time.

"Wait a minute you said metal beak was killed, right?" he said looking at the spotted owl curiously.

"Indeed I did," was her replied.

"Well… what about Nyra?" he asked.

The looks of every owls face in the chamber instantly fell into concerned glances amongst each other at the mention of her name. There was a long silence until Boron spoke up.

"Nyra escaped the battle and called a retreat of her soldiers. They haven't been heard of since." He said coldly.

"So they defeated… not destroyed," James said with an even colder tone.

"What does she matter to you, seagull?" Boron asked giving James a suspicious stare.

"Everything," was his reply.

"Everything?" Boron said with confusion.

"You'll have to explain further seagull," the great horned owl said.

Whilst all the owls in the parliament hollow were getting annoyed at the lack of answers James was giving, Boron was looking curiously at the holster James wore curiously. He was sure he had seen that blade before but couldn't remember where. While the owls around him argued and kept asking James questions relevant to the subject of pure ones and his evolvement in the problem, he suddenly remembered where he had seen that blade.

"Where did you get that?" Boron asked suddenly causing everyone to turn their attention to him.

"What?" James asked confused.

"That blade: where did you get it?" Boron said again, more impatiently this time.

"What, this?" James asked pointing a wing at the holster around his waist.

"Yes!"

"I got this after the attack on my home six years ago," James said as his face fell to a frown.

For the second time today the room fell into a deathly silence. The owls all showed looks of disbelief at James' statement.

"And where exactly was your home seagull," an old burrowing owl asked.

"Before the attack I lived in the Beaks nesting area on the northern boarder of Tyto forest."

"That attack six years ago killed everyone living in that area. No survivors were ever found," the spotted owl declared blankly, not believing James' claim.

"Well you're looking at one," James said.

"Well how did you survive, seagull?" the spotted owl asked still not believing James' story.

"I had been woken up by a strange smell on the night of the attack. As I got up I quickly I realised that it was smoke and I didn't know what was going on. When I came to my senses, I saw fires burning all around me and bodies of fellow seagulls lying dead everywhere. Nyra found me and laughed at my sorrow and said she would let me go. She did after knocking me out but then Iwas a nine year old forced to take a lonely path. She let me go so I could suffer worse than anyone else that had died that night, but that wasn't the worst part."

"What was the worst part?" Baran asked.

"I saw my family amongst the dead. That was the worst part. But after a few minutes of grieving I saw that my mother still had one last dying breath to use. I went over to her and she told me to find you when I was ready. I promised her I would make it and I did make it here, I've done step one."

The owls were listening intently to James' tale and couldn't help feel pity for the young seagull. But Boron had one last question for him.

"What is your name seagull?" he asked.

"James, my name is James."

Both Boron and Baran looked at each other stunned. Barran whispered something into her mates' ear and he nodded at some kind of agreement. He turned back to the group of owls waiting to hear something from there king.

"I am calling an end to this meeting at once," he said shocking the group of owl.

"But surely you have more questions to ask your majesty," the burrowing owl said.

"No. I am calling an end to this meeting now, I will call another meeting when I feel the time is right," he said bringing a gravel down on a wooden block to signal the meetings end.

* * *

The owls in the hollow were beginning to leave. One by one they went the separate ways to different parts of the tree to attend their separate duties. All had left except for James and the two monarchs, who now stood on the platform outside the hollow.

"So why stop the meeting so suddenly?" James asked.

"James, follow us to our hollow. There is something we must discuss privately," Boron said ignoring James' question and began to walk in the direction of his hollow.

"James," Baran said pointing a wing in there hollows direction.

"After you," he said and began to follow them both.

Once they reached the monarchs hollow James saw what was inside. It wasn't as special as you may have thought. It had the various accessories that only royalty could get a hold of and it was slightly bigger than a normal hollow. Not to mention that it was close to the top of the tree so the rulers could get a clear view of the crowds of owls below. But apart from that there wasn't much difference between their hollow and someone elses.

"It's a nice place you've got here," James said as he entered.

"Indeed, but you're not here to judge interior decorating James," Boron said.

"Sorry, so why am I here?" he asked.

"Let us introduce are selves properly first. I am Boron, the King of the Great tree and this is my mate Baran who is Queen of the tree." James bowed his head in acknowledgment of their titles.

"I'm guessing you already know who I am," he said.

"Indeed," Baran said.

"James… I can't believe you're alive," Boron said after a moment of silence.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked confused.

"We thought that no one survived the attack, but here you are." He said.

"Yeah I am and what does it matter to you?" he asked really confused.

"James I don't think he told you but… me and your father were close friends back in the day."

A look of pure shock came across James' face and his beak fell open as he took in the new information he just heard.

"You knew my father?"

"Yes, he saved my life many a time and Quake was also there. Quake and your father, Daniel, used to attack crow mobs during the day when we couldn't and Quake always used to carry that blade," Boron explained looking at the holster James wore.

"My father wasn't a killer. He was a kind and honourable bird that took care of his family," James said disbelieving as he thought the King was joking.

"He and Quake were great warriors from your kind you could even call them the best. You should feel proud that he was a warrior. He helped save many lives."

"My father was a warrior? And to think I thought he was just a story teller. He never told me about him being part of the home guard," James said still slightly shocked at all the new information.

"He probably didn't want you to worry about him is all; he cared a lot for all of you,"

"Yeah it would be the kind of thing he would do. He always thought of others before himself," James said still coming to terms with his father's secret.

That's why he came to us the day before the attack on your home. He came asking for help to save you all."

"And you denied it?" James asked being brought from his thoughts by a sudden jolt of anger that was beginning to boil.

"No we didn't," Baran said calmly sensing James' rage "We were on are way there but by the time we got there it was already too late. We found your family and Quakes but we couldn't find you so we assumed the worst and dealt with the dead as best we could. The massacre at the beaks is now nothing more than a historic event."

"Why did she do it? Why did she attack?" James asked his anger now replaced with sorrow as he began to recall the horrible memories.

"When your father came to me he said that the Pure Ones were demanding that the seagulls leave and give up all property to them. Being the brave bird he was, Daniel made the seagulls stand their ground but it was all in vein when the Pure Ones attacked," Boron explained.

"You know, all that's been keeping me going all these years, is that thirst for revenge and justice. To kill Nyra and destroy the Pure Ones. This only makes me want to do it even more," James said to the two owls before him.

"I understand your anger James and I realise why you have the urge to kill but you have to understand that you can't do this alone," Boron said placing a wing on the young seagull shoulder and the continued. "I admit that I to have been worried about the Pure Ones return. I know they will come back and I think some of the others know as well. We're fighting the same enemy James it would be best if you stay here with us. You would have everything you need and I'll provide a hollow for you to stay in, if you accept the offer."

James thought about the offer for the moment. He knew it would be near impossible to take on the Pure Ones by himself and that it would be nice to be able to stay in one place for a change. Staying here would more than likely be the more sensible thing to do. After a few moments pondering whether to accept the offer or not he made up his mind.

"Alright I'll stay; it's probably for the best."

"It is indeed. I know your father wouldn't want me to not look after his son, it's the least I could do for him and for you," Boron said slightly saddened as he remembered his friends' death.

"I'll go request a hollow to be prepared for you," Baran said before flying out of the hollow and leaving the two alone.

"There's one question I'd like to ask you," James said.

"Ask away."

"Why didn't my father tell me about you, all of you?" he asked.

"My guess is that if anyone found out he knew the ruler of the Great tree then they would probably draw unwanted attention to him and his family."

"That's probably the best reason," James said. Just then Baran arrived back at the hollow. James was surprised at how quick she had got back but didn't question it.

"A hollow is being prepared as we speak, it should be ready by the time we get there," she explained.

"Well you had best be going James, I wish you the best of luck," Boron said.

"Thank you your majesty," James said with a slight bow.

"There is no need for formalities around me James just simply call me Boron."

"And call me Baran." Baran said with a friendly smile.

"I'll do my best to remember that," he said as he walked to the hollow exit where Baran stood.

"And James one last thing," Boron said causing James to turn back to him. "Your father would be proud of you, I know it."

* * *

On the way to James' hollow some of the owls they passed started to whisper among themselves. Whispering thing like 'How did a seagull get here 'and 'what did is a seagull doing with Queen Baran' and even 'that must be a first, a seagull at the Great tree. But some of the owls they passed looked at James like they would anyone else, not even caring that he was different. He was surprised that only two or three owls seemed to dislike his presence at the tree. He had expected more owls to dislike his appearance and was pleasantly surprised that they didn't.

It didn't take long to reach his hollow and once they entered it James took in what was inside. It wasn't much. It was your average size hollow with a nice nest to sleep in and a small wooden stump that acted as a table. All in all it was plain and simple and that was how James liked it.

"I apologize for the lack of interior," Baran said.

"No, no don't apologize I like it like this," he said back.

"Then I hope you like your stay here James, now I must be off there is something I must attend to," she said before leaving the hollow.

"Thanks for everything Baran, I really appreciate it," he said gratefully.

Once she had gone, James took another look around the empty hollow before thinking to himself _'things look like they're getting better for me… for once.'_ His stomach gave a sudden growl as he remembered that he hadn't eaten for over a day and a half._ 'I should go see if there's anywhere to eat'_ he thought to himself.

**And that marks the end to another chapter of A Guardian's Revenge. I really took my time getting this one out didn't I? So I made it longer for you. The reason why this took a while to get out is because of the Christmas holidays. But it's another year now until that comes round again so for now I hope I can get chapters up quicker. Just a quick note James may seem quite big and he probably is in real life but making him the size he is make it a whole lot easier for me to write this. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Leave a review to tell me what you think.**

**crafty-boy-FTW. :D**


	4. Chapter 4: Adina

**A Guardian's Revenge**

**Hello again. I'm here again with another chapter and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed reading it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of the Guardians.**

**Chapter 4: Adina**

As James turned to leave his new hollow to get something to eat; he saw a familiar looking barn owl leaning against the entrance. She was carrying a wooden bowl with some caterpillars and grubs within her talons and she was looking at James almost disbelieving and slightly surprised.

"What did you say to them? It's not every day a seagull is allowed to stay at the great tree," she asked suddenly.

"I told them something's," James replied not wanting to revel too much to this new barn owl.

She looked James over with a suspicious gaze and said "You sure don't say much,"

"I don't say much to strangers," James replied with a smug smile.

She let off an annoyed scoff. "Well I won't be a stranger for long, _James,_"

The look of surprise James gave her was enough to make her smile smugly herself.

"And how the hell do you know who I am?"

"His majesty was very specific with who I was taking care of," she said.

"He told you tha… wait, what do you mean '_taking care of'_" James asked emphasising the last part.

"It means that I have been instructed to look after you whilst you're still recovering from your injuries," she said.

"Well I hate to break it to you but I really don't need a baby sitter," James said. He took a few steps towards the hollow entrance, as if to leave, but a piece of the floor that stuck out tripped him. He fell with a surprised yelp and hit the floor with a loud thud. He groaned when pain shot threw his injured wing. When he got his bearings he found his head at the base of her talons. She had moved from the entrance to the edge of the nest where James had fallen and still had that smug look on her face.

"Yeah, you clearly don't need a baby sitter," she said clear with sarcasm.

Scrambling to his feet, James brushed himself of with his good wing and tried to salvage some of his pride.

"That doesn't prove anything," he said quickly.

"It's proved enough to me," she simply said "Now sit down in the nest or I'll push you there myself,"

"I doubt you could push me miss," James said.

"Really?" she had a barely noticeable smile on her beak "I doubt it would be difficult seagull,"

With that she threw her one free talon under the joint between his good wing and the rest of his body and pinched down on the spot.

"What are you…" James froze instantly when she pinched down. His body grew stiff and he couldn't move. He felt the barn push him into the nest and then she released pressure on the spot and he was able to move again. He moved his limbs about, trying to shake of the stiff feeling and looked at the barn owl that had placed the bowl on the table.

"What the hell did you do to me?" he asked stunned.

"I used a little trick we use to deal with struggling patients," was her answer and James sighed loudly.

"Well you got me here so now what?" James asked with slight annoyance.

"I need to check a few things." Another simple answer.

"Such as…"

"Oh I don't know, maybe your injured wing for example," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Ok, can we get this over with?" James asked not wanting to waste time stuck in a hollow.

"Certainly," she replied and began to check the bandaging around James' wing.

* * *

A few minutes passed by and whilst she was doing the various checks, they remained in silence. As more minutes passed the silence grew more awkward for the two of them. James tried to keep his attention on something other than the barn owl fiddling about with his wing, but the lack of interior and there being literal nothing interesting within sight he just watched her do her job.

As she was checking on how James' injured wing was healing, she couldn't help but feel him staring at her and decided to say something.

"You know it's not polite to stare," she said.

"Er, sorry," he said turning to look outside the hollow entrance. The barn owl could sense the awkwardness between them and thought it was best to break it.

"So, James, you never exactly told me why you're here,"

James was surprised at the sudden statement but sighed when he realised what she was indicating.

"Well I don't really want to share much besides it's a long story," he said. He turned to the barn and saw that she had stopped working on his wing and was now staring into his light blue eyes with her hazel ones.

"I've got time," she said, trying to get him to tell her what happened. As James continued to stare into her eyes he found himself unable to resist telling her. Something told him that he could trust her.

"Well, I going to put it in the shortest way I can," he said and she nodded in agreement.

"I lost everything in one night. I saw what hell was in one night. I was only a small chick from what I remember and I remember it to well. I remember seeing my mother dying in the burning chaos of smock and fire. She told me to come here. She said it would be safe," James stopped there. He thought that was enough story telling for one night. The barn owl only looked at him with a mixture of shock and sorrow.

"I'm sorry I asked," she said looking away felling somewhat guilty.

"Don't be. It's about time I share my story anyway."

Seeing James becoming more miserable, she decided to drop the topic and change the subject but couldn't think of any way how. But James did that for her.

"You know I never caught your name miss…" he said trailing on the last part to get her to tell him.

"Er, well it's Adiena," she replied.

"Adina, huh, that's a nice name," James said and caused her feathers to bluff up in a slight blush.

"Um, th-thank you." She could fell the awkwardness rise again. Her mood had just changed from being sour to being much lighter and she had no idea why. From what she had heard, seagulls weren't very nice creatures but to her this one before her seemed different somehow. She didn't know if the sad story of what he had been through was to blame or the fact that he was being nice to her.

"And what exactly do you do around her Adina?"

"Well I,er, I'm working with the infirmary. Well actually an apprentice at the infirmary. I'm still learning," she answered.

James took a very quick look up and down her. He noticed that she looked around mid teens, which he thought was a bit young to be working with sick and injured owls.

"How old are you Adina?" he asked to confirm his thoughts.

Adina looked slightly taken back by the sudden question but decided to answer it anyway.

"Well I'm fifteen years, why?"

"Well isn't that a bit young to be working with sick owls?"

"Well if you were listening I said I was learning, I still have at least two and a half years left before I'm actually allowed to work properly at the infirmary," Adina said sounding slightly annoyed at James' comment.

"I didn't mean that as an insult. I was just asking," James countered trying not to annoy her any more, he was just getting on her good side.

"Okay, I believe you James but don't make judgements like that,"

"Sorry, but I didn't say you were bad. I mean look at how well you bandaged me up, I didn't even notice it until it was pointed," he commented which caused her feathers to rise again slightly. This seagull was defiantly different to what the rumours told her. She didn't say anything after that she just finished up putting on a new bandage and checking to see if everything was fine, which it was, and then decided to pick up the conversation again.

"So what do you think of the great tree James?"

… No answer.

"Er, James?"

… Still no answer.

"Hello?"

"Huh, what?" James finally answered her. He hadn't been paying attention because he had gone back to looking her over whilst she started working on him again. He had noticed all her features including her sleek golden brown feathers that had tiny spots of dark brown scattered amongst them which covered her wings and her back. She had Black tail feathers that were as dark as the night sky and, like most barn owls; she had bright white feathers that seemed to glow in the small amount of moon light that crept in through the hollow entrance. James didn't know why but something kept his eyes glued to her.

He was brought back from his staring state when Adina had called out to him and he noticed that she was now looking at him in a confused way.

"What's wrong James," she asked after he had come out of his trance.

"Um, nothing, nothing's wrong," he replied hesitantly and let out a nervous chuckle when her confused look turned into a suspicious one.

"Okay, you seemed kind of zoned out there for second, are you sure nothing's wrong," she questioned him. James looked for some kind of excuse but found none. He then tried to find a way to change subject, which came when his stomach gave of a small growl. He chuckled lightly at the noise.

"Wow I completely forgot how Hungary I was, could you pass me that," James asked and pointed his good wing at the bowl of grubs on the table Adina had put it on. She glanced over to where James was pointing and then back at him. Her suspicious look still gazing at him, clearly she knew this was just him changing subject but decided to go along with it for now. She grabbed the bowl and passed it to him. He grabbed it with his talons and started to eat the content.

"Sorry if it's not what you seagulls usually eat but…" she was cut off by him holding out his wing to stop her.

"Don't be sorry, when I was in Tyto forest this was what I usually had,"

Adina looked at him with slight surprise but then remembered what he had told her. She figured that he must have gone somewhere after 'that night', as he called it, and Tyto forest must have been it.

"You really have been through a lot haven't you James?" she asked feeling somewhat sorry for the poor injured seagull before her. James stopped eating and looked dead into her hazel eyes. His gaze made it impossible for her to look away so she just stood there and waited to see what his answer was.

"I've been through hell and back mate, on many occasions actually. Some of those occasions have brought me much closer to the end than I would want. But this journey of mine is one hell I can't escape from. It's changed me and made me into something I never thought I would become. I told you I came here because I thought it was safe. But that wasn't actually the reason I came here for."

"Then why did you come here?" she managed to ask.

"I came here because it gets me closer to the one thing my journey started because of. And that thing is revenge on my family's killers," James said coldly and caused Adina to give a slight shudder. James noticed that she was getting scared and stopped. He didn't want her to be afraid of him. She had just brought him food and had re-done his bandages and he was scaring her in return.

"I'm sorry if I scare you," he said with remorse, "It's just the fact that hell changes birds. It turns them into monsters… It turned me into this monstrous killer that I have become."

Adina looked at James in shock. To think this young seagull was a killer just about stretched imagination. But the look in his eyes showed her how serious he was. She saw James look away from her, ashamed at what he had revelled, and she couldn't help but pity the seagull.

"James, you shouldn't be ashamed for what you say you are," she said only look get locked in James' stare once more.

"It's nice for you to say that, but kind words don't change the things I've done," he said with a small smile.

She was about to ask him to tell her more she noticed that she had done all she could on his wing. She decided that she would press the matter further later on. After all, she was his baby sitter.

"Well I've finished my checks and you're fine, I'll be back later. King Boron also told me to give you a little tour of our tree since you will be here for a while."

James nodded and said "Well it's been nice talking to you, Miss Adina, have a nice night." With that he turned his attention back to his stomach and began to eat the meal he had been given.

Adina turned to look at him once more when she reached the hollow entrance and looked James over one more time. In a matter of minutes she had changed her mind about the crippled seagull. From thinking that he would be nuisance to thinking that the king had made a good choice in making him stay. There was something about him but she couldn't put her talon on it. She quickly departed after and left James alone in his new hollow.

He watched her leave and sighed. He almost felt sad when she left but thought he was just thinking those strange thoughts you get when you're lonely. He was confused now. What was this new feeling he now suddenly felt?

**Well there you go another chapter finally. I don't really have much to say so, please leave a review and feedback.**

**Till next time.**

**crafty-boy-FTW. :D**


	5. Chapter 5: Memories

**A Guardian's Revenge**

**Read A/N at the end please :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own LOTG**

**Chapter 5: Memories**

James had decided to lie down in his new nest after finishing his meal. It was soft and comfortable and he nearly fell asleep a couple of times, which was something he didn't want because he needed to get adjusted to owl sleeping patterns if he was staying here. He had been lying there for a couple of hours now and it was still hours from dawn and he was struggling to stay awake. He was expecting Adina to come back any minute now to show him around but she had yet to show.

As he sat there he began to think about recent events. Getting to the Great Tree through a violent storm, learning about his farther by a short lesson from king Boron, meeting the Echidna. All in all it had been a very eventful two days, but then again most of James' life has been eventful. With that thought in mind his thoughts turned to what he came here for. It was a fool's errand in truth. One seagull against a cult of Tyto owls, if someone told you in the street you would call them crazy but James was a crazy bird, full of crazy ideas.

As he sat in his nest thinking of some of his memories from his adventures, he lost concentration on trying to stay awake. His eyes grew heavy and he slowly fell asleep.

* * *

The morning sun was just beginning to push up from the horizon. The orangey, yellow rays started to aluminate the dense Tyto forest and most of the owl inhabitants had returned to their hollows and turned in for the day. But one bird was just begging to stir and awaken from a little burrow underneath the roots of a large fern tree. The birds grey feathers looked like the ones young chicks get and that in turn gave him a young look, despite. A bird such as himself seemed out of place in place such as Tyto forest. After all seagull's were usually nested by the coast.

The young seagull began to get his bearings as the first rays of the sun leaked into the small burrow and hit his face. He groaned a he struggled to his feet. By his standards it was too early in the morning to get up. Once he was up and aware he looked over to the back wall of the small burrow. A black leather holster with a similar black metal handle sticking out from the top was both propped up against the wall. He walked over to them and proceeded to put them on. He had been in this forest for a week now with no food and the signs of hunger were more than visible on the seagull, it was surprising that he hadn't collapsed yet.

As he was strapping on his equipment he began to think of what went on last night. _'Was that all a dream?'_ he thought to himself,_ 'did I really do all that?'_ he asked himself. It had only been a week since he had lost everything. He had spent the first couple of days grieving over the loss of his family, friends and home but after those two days he came to realise what his mother had said to him and he did not want to let her down. So here he was now in Tyto forest with no clue what to do and no food.

It didn't look good but James hoped and hung in there waiting to see if something good would happen for a change but so far nothing had presented itself. He had finished putting on the holster and blade by the time he was lured away from his thoughts. He changed his focus to the world outside the small burrow and walked outside. Once outside he took a few steps forward before taking a few quick glances around the forest area. Everything seemed normal and the only thing James thought was another day of starving torture. But his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something walking up behind him.

He quickly spun around in a panic and jumped away a few paces before looking at what had spooked him. It was not what he had expected. A Barn owl loomed over him in an intimidating manner and the confused look he gave James made him more suspicious. He was not an old looking owl but he was not young either in fact he looked a little over forty and had a small scar the left side of his face. The owl's sudden appearance surprised James completely. How he had not heard the owl land behind him was something he didn't know and was rather curious about. They both stood there for a couple of moments, James was unsure as to what the owl was thinking but his young imaginative side took hold and he thought some crazy thoughts like _'Is this owl going to eat me!?'_ or _'I'm going to die here just after my family!'_ but none of these crazy thoughts were going through the Barn owls mind. In fact he just continued to look confused but seeing a James' worried expression grow he decided to break the silence.

"What are you doing here seagull?" he asked in a voice just like Noctus just slightly rougher.

James just looked surprised and didn't answer the question. The Barn owl just rolled his eyes.

"Speak boy, I am not going to hurt you," he reassured James. James gulped strongly but managed to come up with an answer.

"I.. I'm homeless," he said trying to avoid having to revel what really happened. The Barn owl was curious at James' answer and raised a brow.

"And that is because...?" the Barn owl asked. He looked at the holster on James' back but decided to push that subject later.

James opened his beak as if to say something but closed it and lowered his head as if to avoid the question. The Barn owl sighed and looked at the morning sky. No matter what time of day it was, Tyto forest is always a danger to birds on the ground. He turned back to James and saw that he was still facing the ground in a depressed way. The Barn owl debated whether to offer this seagull a resting place or not, but seeing as how young he was the Barn owl decided that he was no cause for alarm.

"Listen, kid, come with me I'll give you a rest stop for today, you look like you've had it rough." Little did he know as to how right he was.

James looked up to face him with a puzzled yet worried look. "Ma always said to never go with strangers," he stated. The Barn owl simply chuckled at his statement.

"Clever, kid, but trust me when I say that if I wanted to do anything then it would already be done and there are much worse things than me in this forest."

He had a point; James knew it and he James did also need a rest from a week of travel with no food. James very briefly thought it over before deciding that he had nothing to lose. His cautious look never leaving his young face he said, "Alright misters… take me there."

"Well we are already here actually. You camped out right underneath my hollow," he said with a small smile. James looked up at the tree, whose roots he had slept under. He hadn't noticed its size as of now but now he got a look at it, it was very tall.

"How do I get up there?" he asked, not directly at the barn owl. Before he knew what hit him, he found himself being lifted up and up towards the top of the large tree and let out a surprised 'Whoa' as he went up. He saw that he was indeed being lifted up by the Barn owl and his talons and within a matter of seconds they found themselves at the top of the tree. Once the Barn owl set James on the hollow floor he then landed himself. James stumbled on his feet for a little bit before stabilizing and shaking his head clear of dizziness. He was not used to being carried up high at high speed. But once he got his head clear he took a quick look at the Barn owls hollow. It was nice and spacious and it had a soft-looking nest at the back wall of the hollow and a smaller one closer to the hollow entrance. It looked as though the hollow had originally been designed for more than one person.

"This is nice," James said quietly but the Barn owls elite hearing picked up his mumble.

"Why thank you, but don't just stand there, come in or do you plan on getting down somehow?"

James looked over the edge of the hollow entrance and saw a shear death drop before him and he shook his head before proceeding into the Barn owls hollow. The Barn owl gestured to a place opposite him and James walked to it and waited for the Barn owl to speak.

"How long have you been in Tyto forest kid" was his question.

"Ab- about a week," James answered hesitantly, still unsure whether to trust this owl.

"And when was the last time you ate? You look thin," he said.

"I haven't eaten since I got here," was his reply and as if on cue his stomach growled. The Barn owls expression turned to surprise at that statement. For a kid to survive that long and at this age with no food was an achievement in itself. He looked James over for a few seconds before deciding on something. He proceeded to walk to the edge of the hollow and spread his golden brown wings.

"Whe-Where are you going," James asked cautiously.

"Wait here," was the simple reply and with that, the Barn owl took off. James had wondered where he was off too. When the Barn owl returned two minutes later, James was about to ask where he had been when he noticed that he was carrying what looked like two dead caterpillars that looked fairly decent in size. The Barn owl walked over to James and placed one at his feet.

"I know it is not something you seagulls eat, especially at your age, but it's either this or starve."

James looked at the big bug in front of him and didn't look happy. But after a week of not eating anything was a meal. He began to slowly rip tear the caterpillar. Piece by piece it slowly disappeared into the young seagull's belly. The Barn owl was impressed by James will to eat the bug. He was expecting a moaning child to whine about how it tasted bad but instead he was greeted by silence. He had also finished eating and decided to bring up a subject he had forgotten about since they were at the base of his tree.

"Hey, kid, what is a child your age doing with a weapon like that?" he asked.

James hesitated at his sudden question and tried to come up with a way of avoiding the question but his reply wasn't very satisfying to the Barn owl.

"I… I found it."

The Barn owl looked displeased and said "Look, kid, liars are bad and I can see through a lie easily, but that was so bad I didn't even need to try. So what are you doing with that weapon?"

James looked down depressed again. He knew he couldn't get around this Barn owl and knew he had no choice but to tell him.

"Ok mister, I'll… I'll tell you…" James said and then began to describe what had happen a week ago.

He described the horrifying sights, the burning firers and the strange group of owls that had been responsible for the attack. He also briefly mentioned as to how he came across the larger knife-sword that belonged to his friend's dad. And as he finished the incredible story the Barn owl just looked shocked. James noticed his expression and continued to look at the hollow floor. The Barn owl was just stunned. He had seen the large smoke stack a little way in the distance but just thought it was a large forest fire he only now realised that he was wrong. But then he focused on the name James had spoken. 'Pure Ones'. He hated the name and for good reason. He took another look at James as if he was going to tell him something but stopped when he saw his expression. James had gone to looking down and depressed to looking up and enraged.

"I swear, that for as long as I live, I will find and kill every last Pure One," James growled out. The Barn owl just continued to look at James, his expression never changing even at James' out-burst. In fact he was impressed at this little seagulls courage and survival and the will he also possessed but he felt as though he should explain what happened to himself.

"Kid, I know how you feel," he said.

James expression changed to surprise at the Barn owls words.

"Yes, I know what it's like to lose someone to the Pure Ones. It happened right in this hollow actually," he explained. He looked at James, who was now listening intently, before continuing, "I had a mate at one time. She was beautiful, funny and caring she was all I wanted. But then one night it all went horribly wrong. I was out hunting and I stayed out a bit too long so when I came back I saw two big Tyto owls with terrifying masks and red eyes standing outside this hollow. I dropped the mice I had caught and descended to the two owls but as I approached they attacked me. We fought for a few minutes but I managed to kill both of them. After I had dealt with them I rushed into the Hollow and part of me died in side. I saw my mate dead inside with an owl that was bigger than the two outside next to her body. Beneath that mask I swear I saw him smile and that was it. I clicked and charged, we fought and he was left dying. And in his last dying breath he muttered one sentence that I remember so well. 'The Pure Ones are coming' is what he said and with that he died. I was devastated. My mate was dead and all I was left with was this place and the terrible memories of that night." He stopped there. He looked at James that was staring at him with a sorrow filled expression. But at the same time James thought that he had suffered the same he had, in fact that was what both of them were thinking.

"Mister, I don't know what to say,"

"You don't need to say anything, Kid, you told me your story and I told you mine." After he said that they both looked away from each other. The Barn owl had a sudden thought. It would be bold thing to ask from the kid but if this kid was so intent on revenge then maybe he would come to agree with the idea. But he needed to know if this was the path he really wanted to go.

"Kid…" he said getting James' attention.

"How far would you go to avenge your family?" he asked. James' reaction was just what he had expected. James was surprised by the sudden question but his expression soon changed.

"I… I would… I would do anything… anything."

"Would you go through the toughest training?"

"….Yes"

"Would you clime the tallest mountain?"

"…Yes"

"Would you… Would you…Kill?" the Barn owl asked quietly, almost a whisper. James was very hesitant in answering that question, he seemed in deep thought. He glanced back at the blade on his back and came to one of the most important decisions in his life.

"Yes," was his answer.

The Barn owl nodded in approval at the kids' decision and said "Well, kid, I can train you."

James looked at him hopefully, hoping that he was telling the truth.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes, but it will be difficult and will take a long time."

"I don't care as long as it gets me what I promised my Ma."

The Barn owl again nodded in approval at James' statement before turning to the large nest at the back of the hollow. He made himself comfortable but James interrupted him.

"What are you doing?" he asked

"Sleeping and I suggest you do the same, we will start training at night."

"But I don't sleep in the day," he said.

"Well I suggest that you try otherwise you are going to struggle tonight."

James turned and looked at the inviting nest on the other side of the hollow. He walked over to it and stepped inside. He laid down and closed his eyes but he was interrupted by the Barn owl.

"Felix," he said

"What," James asked confused.

"It's my name, Felix."

"James," James said.

"My name is James," and with that the Barn owl, Felix, and the seagull James fell asleep. James struggled to fall asleep at first but eventually fell asleep. And James had just started the second part of his journey.

* * *

James grew aware of an annoying poking in his abdomen. It felt like someone was poking his side and he wasn't wrong in assuming.

Adina had walked in and found the seagull fast asleep in his nest with one wing hanging over his head, which itself was hang from the edge of the nest, whilst his injured wing wouldn't move because of the bandages around it. It was a comical position and she had to suppress a small giggle from escaping her beak. She then began to poke him to try and wake him and it was slowly working. She heard him groan in disapproval at the thought of getting up but continued to poke him until his eyes opened.

Once he saw her standing before him James struggled onto his feet and rubbed his eyes clear with his undamaged wing.

"Have a nice nap?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was refreshing."

"Well now your lazy butt is up would you care to stay awake while I show you the way?" she asked.

James shook the last bit of sleep from his mind before looking at the hollow entrance and gestured a wing to the outside.

"Lead the way," he said.

She smiled slightly and proceeded outside. James followed her, egger to see what the great tree looked like.

* * *

**Well another chapter done. Sorry it took so long, it's because my computer crashed and deleted everything and it took a month to fix. I also just recently got back from a two week holiday so that just ads to the delay. But it's fixed now so updates could be faster.**

**This chapter is something I want to try I'm unsure as to write a different story on James' past before or put them in chapters like these. I will decide later but until the please enjoy**

**Oh and to TheGhost129 (and every other reviewer)- Hugs Back. Thank you guys so much**

**crafty-boy-FTW :D**


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